Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-11
AN ANGEL OR A DEVIL.
The Closing Remarks of Attorney General
Hogg in the willis Case.

The Closing Remarks of Attorney General
HOgg in the willis Case.
AUSTIN, TEN, March2, 1851.
To the Editor of the Gazette
Judge Frank Willis has once more
come before the high forum of the law
making power Of the state government,
to answer to the charge of collision,
fraud and corruption in office. He has
been nobly represented by learned coun-
sci, whose eloquent appeals and able ar
guments have rendered sll the Gef=nse
that laborious search and legal aCumen can
draw from the musty depths of bygone
ages, or can Gull from the precedeGts
Of modern law books. He has been en-
vironed, too, by the support of number
of lich and influential friends, who have
neither spared money nor Influence to
bring to his aid all the means available
for his defense. lie was accorded a pa
tent hearing before a select committee,
where he was given all privileges granted
under q liberal construction of the
rights of defendants in criminal
trials, before an impartial court
met the eyes of the beholders vino entered
the Representative hall yesterday
noon, when Attorney General Hogg, for
the state of Texas, facing the defendant
and his counsel, surrounded by the Rep
resentatlves of the Lower House of the
Legislature, uttered these burning words:
SIN conclusion, esk you to take q look
at Judge Willis on the bench at that
court, representing Justice! See him in
his judicial ermine, holding the scales
equally balanced! View him, blIndfold-
ed, with arms outstretched, weighing the
rights Of the state and of the accused!
Behold him, posing there as the purest Of
mortals, removed from the influences Of
interest, prejudice and passion, guard
ing with equal jealousy the respective
claims of Texas aud OF those cattle
harOnS.
"Such is an enviable picture! On the
other hand, clear up your visions, lay
aside your fancy aud meet stern facts face
to face. Look at the man playing traitor
to the bench, in judicial ermine! See
him with the folds from his eyes
and the scales of justice from his hands
Behold him witnessing the test made by
the Cowman's long arm, rusty steelyards
in the hands of Bonus WOodman and
the defendants lawyers. View him as
he trem0lingly croucaes upon his seat
and watches those liberal lords called up
for trial.
"There are stocked before him these
eighty-SiX monstrOus indiCtments-the
five days work of the self-confessed Grim
inals; to his right sits jury composed
chiefly of their employees; to the lett
stands the Sheriff in their pay; in front
poses that mild-mannered District Attor-
ney on a salary by them, and surrounding
him from every source arises the foul
fumes of conspiracy, fraud and corruption
which every honest man there smells
with disgust agd shamel And all for
Justice: God spare the term.
"ThoSe doubtful balances QUESTIONABLE
held are raised up in cOntempt before the
court. In steps a self-indicted culprit 10
be weighed. With him he takes eight of
his employees, hispaid sheriff, his salaried
district attorney, and calls On his three
able counsel to place their heavy hands
On his shoulders to hold the thing down;
looks arouLd, sees his comrades in crime
there watching and waiting to assist him,
and then he ComplaCently casts Wistful
lock upon His Honor and wells out:
Pm ready What constitutes the anti
poise placed On the long arm to produce
an equilibrium: What is it! The verbal
admissions of the lawyers, Not wit
ness is added there to give weight; not g
man raises his hand sincerely to draw
down the beam for the state; but, already
tipped it is Lever shaken or lowered
from its high-taStened place. A few
minutes pass, silence prevails and 'Iis
honor announces solemDly from the
bench that the defendant outwei !hs the |
state; that he has won Thus, for fifty
six times, this unprecedented perform
ance Is gone through with in open court, !
and yet we are told that this man is a |
just Judge, That he is innocent and de- |
serves to continue to wear tue mantle .
of the purest of proud pro-
fession. Yes, he's innocent, Innocent,
Yes, innocent! If he were reveling in
the luEid plsy grounds CT hell, side by
side with monster imps, tossing here and
there human souls as foot balls, he would
be too innocent to even suspect that the
of the devil was about him.
Yes, he's too innocent. From all the
tacts in this case, if he is not guilty, then
Frank Willis is too pure to hold human
0tlice. If he is guilty, he's too corrupt
% ill the dirtiest place! From the in
porn dictates of conscience, the inspired
principles of duty, the pure instincts of
Elevated manhood you ought to act.
Stand by the law, invoke the principles
If justice and purify the judiciary of our
yrand and noble state by forever retiring
crank Willis from the office of District
Judge"
AT the conclusion of his argument the
louise adjourned until O'Clock p. m, ..
nd when they reassembled in their hall
motion was made ard carried by a
wo-thirds vote sustaining the charges
gsinst Judge Willis. The matter will
ow go before the Senate Thursday next, Z
nd thst august body will perform the ..
sst solemn act in the Investigation.
JUSTICE.
In the latter,stage of consumption, the